Notes on nature

Our weird and wonderful State of Nature

2013-05-24T07:00:00Z

Hairy snails, spiny seahorses and ocean quahogs; who knew these creatures lived here, in the UK?

As well as charting the fortunes of the familiar ladybirds, golden eagles and otters, the groundbreaking State of Nature report features a whopping 3,148 species. However, only the hardcore enthusiasts know many of these. So, I decided it was time to give these unknown species their chance in the limelight. I’ve looked through the report to bring you what I think are the 10 weirdest and most wonderful species:

German hairy snail

One of our rarest molluscs, within the UK it’s found only along the River Thames in London and Oxfordshire, and the River Medway in Kent. Admittedly, they don’t actually look that hairy, but then it is only the size of your fingernail. I’ve researched how it gets it’s hairy name: it’s thought that small hairs grow through its shell, allowing it to sweat off moisture and therefore stick to plants better. You’ve got to admit, that’s pretty cool, if a little weird!

Ladybird spider

A look at the image of this species shows you exactly why it gets its name: it’s a spider that looks a bit like a ladybird. Thought extinct in the UK for over 70 years, in 1980 a colony was found clinging on to UK existence on a Dorset heathland. Despite an increasing population, they’ve not spread out since then, so back in 2011 we were involved in a partnership project, creating a new location for one of the UK’s rarest spiders.

Spiny seahorse

Did you know that there are actually two species of seahorse found in UK waters? With the spiny seahorse found as far north as Shetland? First things first, seahorses are fish. Admittedly pretty weird looking ones, but fish none the less. What is weirder is that the males give birth – the female transfers the eggs to the male, he self-fertilises them and then a few weeks later gives birth to the next generation of spiny seahorses.

Ocean quahog

As well as being a fictional New England town in the TV animation Family Guy, a quahog is a big cockle, or clam. The ocean quahog lives buried in sand, with just a small tube extending up into the sea to filter out food. Living up to 400 years old, quahog numbers are taking a long time to recover from commercial fishing, because of their slow-growing nature.

B*stard gumwood tree

In St Helena, a remote UK Overseas Territory deep in the South Atlantic Ocean, the last b*stard gumwood tree left in the wild clings to a desolate cliff. Inspiring conservation work, including hand-pollinating this last surviving tree is now helping to bring this species back from the brink.

(I've had to spell this tree with an asterisk, as its name can also be used as a term of offence. The software we use automatically strips out words like this. But hopefully the only thing that offends you here is that this species is on the brink of extinction).

Large blue butterfly

The largest and rarest of the UK’s blue butterflies, the large blue became extinct in the UK back in 1979. However, it’s now thriving again thanks to a re-introduction scheme. This elegant butterfly has a remarkable lifestyle, spending most of the year in the nests of red ants. How do they get there? Well, the larvae drop off plants and attract foraging ants with a sweet, honey-like liquid. The ants then pick up the butterfly larvae and take them back to the nest. Here they feed on the ant grubs, hibernate and, come May, the fully-grown adults crawl up through the ant nest, and emerge into the sunshine.

Wart-biter

Actually a bush-cricket, the wart-biter gets its name from the bizarre practice of Swedish peasants using the crickets to bite off warts! Although doubts remain how effective this treatment actually was! Catching one to use as wart-remover might be tricky though, as there are just five small populations left in the UK, all living on southern England’s lowland heathland.

Round-leaved sundew

A carnivorous plant, it catches unsuspecting insects with its sticky hairs, before digesting them with acid. It’s one way to grab a bite to eat I suppose! It grows in marshes, bogs and fens, where the sticky dew on it’s bright red leaves has evolved due to lack of nutrients in the soil.

Snowdon lily

For the moment the Snowdon lily hangs on, living on the cold north-facing slopes of Snowdonia National Park. But for how much longer? Left behind after the last ice-age, and found only within the National Park boundaries, this arctic-alpine specialist still finds the climate up in the heights of Wales to it’s liking! Unfortunately, it also has the dubious honour of being named the first British plant likely to go extinct because of climate change.

Mottled bee-fly

The last one on my list, the mottled bee-fly is another heathland creature that has seen its home shrink. It’s probably a parasite, with its larvae developing inside sand wasps or the caterpillars the wasps collect for their own larvae. When developed, the host dies and the bee-fly flies free. But this isn’t known for sure, which just goes to show that there’s so much more about the scarcer species in the UK that we just don’t know.

What makes your top 10?

There we have it, that’s my countdown of the ten weirdest and most wonderful creatures from the State of Nature report. Most of these elusive critters are in trouble. But, as the report shows, with targeted conservation work, there is a chance for them all.

Are there any weird and wonderful creatures I’ve left out? What’s in your make your top ten? Let me know my leaving a comment below.

Catch the chorus

2013-05-24T07:00:00Z

Dawn in spring is a cacophony of noise. Our resident birds tune up for the day ahead, proclaiming their territories and warning off rivals.

It’s well worth getting up early out of your warm, cosy bed. But can you tell your blackbird from your blackcap? If not, to get you started in the wonderful world of birdsong, here’s a few common species you might hear, including links to our website so you can listen to them before you head out. (Plus if you read to the end, I might give you a bonus bird...)

Blackbird

First up, your blackbird. Now as a common garden bird, most people in the UK can identify one, and I’m sure many know it’s lovely, flutey, mellow song, repeated every two-three seconds. Some have regular song-posts, so you’ll be able to catch up with your garden regulars. Blackbirds often kick off the dawn chorus, so once you hear one singing, keep listening!

Blackcap

Blackcaps are next up as a bird to try. A common migrant to the UK in spring, lots of scrub patches and gardens should harbour a pair or two by now. Listen along on the website, can you pick up the melodic warble? They tend vary the tempo a bit, and each song lasts around five seconds on average.

Robin

Another garden favourite is the robin. Like their blackbird cousins, robins are early risers and will be there at the start of the dawn chorus. In fact, robins will even sing at night, especially in the presence of streetlights. These red-breasted songsters give out a quite varied song, with fast warbled notes, followed up with a few elongated notes. Best thing to do is have a listen, you may have already heard one without knowing it!

Willowchiff

We’re going down a different route now, try a willow warbler. It was once described to me as like water flowing down a stream, and that’s how I hear their melodious warble. It’s much different to it’s almost identical cousin, the chiffchaff, which says its name. Over and over again.

Give it a try...

So that’s five to try. I’m sure you can hear them all this weekend, as they cover the vast majority of the UK. Be sure to let me know how you get on, but hurry, miss it and you'll have to wait til next year.

And remember, you can listen to the songs and calls of most of the UK’s species on our website. But. if you want to hear the experience for yourself in your own home, try listening to recent Living World show on BBC iPlayer. It was recorded at our Coombes Valley nature reserve in Staffordshire.

Special, bonus bird!

Ok, this one is special. They don’t occur over the whole of the UK, so you will have to work to get one of these. But the song of the nightingale is so entrancing, that that once you’ve nailed some of the common species you’ll want to go and listen to them! With near-legendary status, the silence-shattering burst builds up into the full song. Just listen to it. It’s magic.

Monday Moment: a swift half...

2013-05-20T11:32:55Z

It felt almost like May yesterday.

So in true British style myself and a few friends tried to make the most of a little bit of sun, and headed to a newly opened beer garden in the town we live in. The beer was great, but the star attractions were above our heads.

Swooping, scything and screaming through the sky were swifts. Finally, they have returned!

I've seen dribs and drabs over the last few weeks, but at last there were 10, or even 20 at a time screaming through the skies as I supped my beer. The pub in question is at the heart of the old town, and here swifts squeeze into barely noticable cracks and crevices to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. They even nest in the roof of the pub!

So, today's Monday Moment, is a shot of a swift poking its head up from a roof - not a shot you see very often. So next time you find yourself in a beer garden, why not try looking up too?

This is one of thousands of spectacular wildlfe images on RSPB Images - our online gallery. Take a look and find your prefect print, something for a friend or just browse your favourite critters.

Please help us improve our website

2013-05-14T08:42:45Z

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We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you.

Monday's Magic Moment: starling, there's something I need to tell you!

2013-05-13T09:01:53Z

I don't know why, but whenever I see a starling I end the encounter with a big grin on my face.

Maybe it's because they remind me of a childhood spent listening to their scrabbling around in the loft above my bedroom, attempting to raise a family.

Or, maybe it's because of their beautiful feathers that iridesce as they catch the summer sunlight.

Whatever the reason, I hope these two put a smile on your face today.

Find an image to put a smile on your face - check out RSPB Images.

Neglected by people, valuable to nature

2013-05-01T15:54:00Z

Brownfield land refers to those places that humans have developed but then left to ruin. While they might look far from ideal habitat, many species thrive here in people’s absence.

There are examples everywhere and I’m sure you can think of a derelict building nearby with weeds and fast-growing trees sprouting up around it, providing cover for all kinds of creatures.

Examples can be found in such extreme places as Chernobyl. Despite being the infamous site of a nuclear disaster, nature has reclaimed the site with roe deer, moose and even wolves thriving on the land. But most widely publicised was the introduction of the then critically endangered Przewalski’s horse, who’s numbers have increased, apparently unhindered by the nuclear radiation. The biggest threat they face here is poaching.

Where the Iron Curtain once cut through Europe, a project known in Germany as the Grünes Band (Green Belt), has turned this site of massive political tension into a conservation success story. It provides a haven for many species including nightjar, lynx and European beaver.

A smaller but significant example in the UK can be found on the Thames estuary at Canvey Island (where happen to have a reserve). The Canvey Wick site was intended as an oil refinery, but was abandoned in 1973.

It has since become one of the top three sites in the UK for insect biodiversity and has been dubbed Britain’s Rainforest (Springwatch did a great piece on this site).

Have you seen any wildlife making the most of a brownfield habitat?

Monday's magic moment: springtime underwater

2013-04-29T09:30:00Z

I was reminded by a soft splash in my garden pond that the spring is here for our aquatic wildlife too.

Frogs, toads and fish like these minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) are all using our fresh water habitats to breed, although probably not in the same places, frog spawn tends to get eaten when there are fish around.

Graham Eaton has provided us with this great shot from an alternative perspective. See more wildlife images at www.rspb-images.com

This weekend...find a springtime songster

2013-04-24T15:28:00Z

Perhaps the very epitome of spring birdsong, the humble nightingale has been inspiring poets, writers and anyone who hears its sweet, uplifting song for centuries.

Including me.

Related to the robin, nightingales lack the red breast of its cousin, but makes up for it with lovely rufousy back, head and wings. But its song is what really sets it apart.

Go on, listen in...

I find it hard to describe the song’s qualities – I never feel I can do it justice.

The best thing to do is listen. Check out the nightingale page on our website, turn up your speakers and listen – it’s worth it.

But trust me, it’s much better getting out on a late spring evening, the sun gently warming your back, and listening to the real thing.

And now is a great time to do just that, before the leaves and foliage really start to come out and make seeing these migrants more difficult to see.

Find your own

Paxton Pits, where I was on Sunday, is a great spot.

Nestled alongside the Great Ouse, these former quarry workings are now home to an array of wildlife, from cormorants to otters. But from April to early June, the singing nightingales are the stars of the show.

In the UK, nightingales essentially need an area of scrubby woodland, with some open patches, often near water. There’s a few of our reserves you can try too.

Can you spot one?

I can’t guarantee you’ll see one though. I won’t lie, it’s not easy tracking down a skulking brown bird that spends a lot of its time hiding in dense foliage! Even if it is singing its head off!

But I can spend hours listening to that glorious, uplifting song – it’s heaven. The first burst of notes will always stop me dead in my tracks. So seeing one is just a bonus.

Fancy joining me? Why not try listening out for nightingales this spring? And don’t forget to let me know if you’re successful by leaving a comment below...

Monday's magic moment: cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...

2013-04-22T10:35:00Z

They're back!

Yes, that's right, cuckoos are definitely back in the UK - I heard at least three over the weekend. Did you hear any? Why not let me know by leaving a comment below...

So to celebrate the arrival of cuckoos, spring and a whole host of other migrant birds this weekend, here's a cracking shot of a male cuckoo for you. Enjoy!

David Kjaer snapped this image and it's one of thousands of images from RSPB Images - take a look and find your perfect spring time shot.

This weekend...know your trees

2013-04-19T06:31:00Z

I've been on a bit of a woodland mission this week.

So I though I might as well finish the week off as I started it: with trees.

This is my quick guide to five easy to identify trees.

1. Oak

Where you live in the country will depend on whether you see sessile or pedunculate oaks. However, common to both is the shape of the leaves: long and rounded lobes that are glossy green on top.

2. Ash

The oval leaves of an ash aren't in themselves that distinctive, it's the way they grow that is - arranged in pairs along a branch with an odd one at the end.

3. Silver birch

The beautifully gnarled and fissured silver bark of a silver birch is the easiest way to identify this tree.

4. Horse chestnut

Probably better identified in winter when horse chestnuts produce their seeds - conkers. But in spring it produces 'showy' creamy-white flower clusters that stand upright in spikes. It also makes a tree to have a picnic under!

5. Beech

Beech is another tree best identified by its leaves. The large and smooth dark green leaves grow along a 'zig-zag' branch.

What have you seen?

The number of pests and diseases attacking trees in the UK has increased in the last few years. Be part of the OPAL tree health survey and help scientists build up a picture of the health of our trees.

We should all go on a woodland walk!

2013-04-18T08:53:00Z

It seems I should listen to my brain more often!

According to a recent study from researchers at Heriot-Watt University a stroll in a leafy wood or park has a calming effect and lessens stress.

This probably shouldn't really come as such a surprise to me. Working in the grounds of a woodland reserve, I regularly enjoy the solitude of going for a lunchtime walk, weaving my way amongst the trees of the reserve.

I always make it back to my desk feeling refreshed.

Admittedly, it's a small study, but the results are compelling none-the-less about how green spaces are important to our well-being.

And to help you get even more out of your next leafy jaunt, I asked our resident woodland expert - Gareth Fisher - to share his tips on what to look out for!

Pretty plants

As members of the buttercup family, lesser celandine's love bright sunlight and are like small rays of sunshine themselves as they look up to the sky from the woodland floor. They are one of the first plants to flower in spring and as a consequence sometimes get called the 'spring messenger'. William Wordsworth thought they were so great that he was inspired to write three poems about them!

Common dog-violets have a rather delicate-looking purple flower and heart-shaped leaves - which are an important food source for many caterpillars. However, don't bother looking for them if the soil is acidic or very wet!

You'll probably just as easily smell, as see, the next plant on the list: ramsons. These beautiful white flowers carpet woodland floors, and fill the air with a pungent garlic-like scent (as an interesting aside, you can use them in salads). They also frequently grow alongside bluebells - so two flowers for the price of one!

The next flower to keep an eye out for is honeysuckle. It either trails along the ground, or sometimes climbs high into the trees to form a 'bush'. The trumpet-shaped flowers give off a sweet smell at night - to attract pollinating moths.

Wood sorrel is easy to overlook. Until in full bloom, that is, when it reveals its dainty bell-like white flowers (with their pink streaks). I have it on good authority that their leaves taste like cooking apples, or salt and vinegar crisps, depending on your taste buds!

Beautiful butterflies

Brown is definitely not boring. Look out for delicate speckled wood butterflies in sunny clearings.

It's the flashy male who gives the orange tip its name (females actually have grey wing tips!). This butterfly is also seen in gardens, so you might already have met!

It's easy to identify bright yellow male brimstones! Females are easier to identify when resting - with their distinctive wing shape.

Another visitor to gardens you may already be familiar with is the holly blue butterfly. Their violet-blue hue is easy to spot despite their small size.

The purple sheen of a purple hairstreak can be difficult to spot - not only because of its small size, but also because of its reliance solely on oak trees - but it's definitely worth the effort. The best time to spot one is in the early evening of a warm summer's day.

So that's it! Some great picks from Gareth.

Now all this talk of nature is making me want to get outside. Will you join me?

You've come from where?

2013-04-16T13:37:00Z

I think (hope?) I'm safe to say that spring is finally here, and as I alluded to last month one thing is for certain - whatever the weather, birds are building nests and pairing up.

And while some of those birds have weathered winter with us, some are only now just landing on our shore.

And where have you come from?

What started out as a simple exercise to find out what bird travels the furthest to reach the UK, turned out to be somewhat less than straightforward.

And when I say less than straightforward, I mean that I pretty much fell at the first hurdle!

It turns out that we don't really know that much about where 'our' migrants spend winter, so my idea of 'guess the miles travelled by xxx' didn't get very far.

The good news is that projects are underway to build up our knowledge of where birds spend the winter, but not in a timely enough way to help me today!

Top of the migrant pops!

However, not to be deterred, I've still managed a countdown of sorts for which summer woodland bird travels the furthest to get here.

So, here's my run down.

In at number four is the blackcap:

Once these birds were definitely just a summer visitor, but every year we get more and more reports of these birds hanging around all year.

So, at their shortest journey, blackcaps don't actually go anywhere, with many birds preferring to spend their winter in the UK rather than heading off to Spain or Africa.

It's a bit of a tie for third between pied flycatchers:

and lesser whitethroats:

who both end up in Africa, but on opposite shores - flycatchers to west Africa (around Ghana), and whitethroats to east Africa.

And flying straight into number one as one of the migrants flying the furthest to get to the UK, is:

The redstart. These beautiful rusty red and charcoal-coloured birds like to spend their winter in sub-Saharan Africa (around Uganda/Congo) before they turn up to raise a family in our woods.

I find it truly amazing that these birds (often weighing no more than a few smarties) make such incredible journeys.

Hopefully, with a few more years' worth of data we'll know a lot more about where the winter habitats of these birds are - meaning we can protect them not just here, but in their other 'homes' too.

Monday's Magic Moment: what's brown and sticky?

2013-04-15T06:51:00Z

...a stick. Of course!

And at the moment many of the trees around The Lodge look more like big sticks protruding from the ground, than the fresh and vibrant living things they will blossom into in the coming weeks.

I, for one, am looking forward to this explosion of growth that will add a welcome splash of green to my lunchtime walks around the reserve. But until then, this beautiful close-up of a beech tree will have to do!

Our wonderful online picture library has a wealth of other spring images - go on, take a look.

Migrants are on their way!

2013-04-12T08:12:00Z

'Yeah, yeah,' I hear you say, 'this spring will never arrive.' But it's true that our summer migrant birds are on their way - I've seen them with my own eyes!

Just before Easter I was lucky enough to spend a week at the Strait of Gibraltar Bird Observatory, which is run by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society. As well as monitoring the birds on the Rock of Gibraltar by ringing, we spent a lot of time staring into the sky and across the bay.

Gibraltar's position, near the closest point of Europe to north Africa, makes it a really good place to watch migration as birds try to take the shortest route across the sea. It's about 13 miles as the eagle flies between Africa and Gibraltar.

(You can just about see Morocco in the photo above, about a third of the way from the left, and the Spanish coast right of middle)

An eagle-eyed view

Good Friday was particularly good for birds of prey. From about 9 am, when improvement in the weather meant that migrants began to cross the Strait, we watched constantly and identified and counted the birds that flew over our heads.

Top of the pops were booted eagles, with 586 counted, then black kites (490) and sparrowhawks (188). By 6.30 pm things had stopped and it was definitely time for a celebratory beer!

My favourites were the short-toed eagles which had the misfortune to fly in right over the breeding colony of yellow-legged gulls on top of the Rock. Angry cries from the gulls alerted us to their presence as they harassed the poor eagles. One eagle skimmed just above the roof of the observatory and I was captivated by its yellow eyes as it dodged the irate gulls snapping at its tail.

We're unlikely to see any of those birds making it as far north as the UK (although we have sparrowhawks here, they probably don't move as far as north Africa or southern Europe). But the good news is that there were some of the species that we're expecting here any day now.

They're coming!

A steady trickle of swallows flitted north, as did house martins. You might not expect it, but there were also large number of goldfinches heading back to their breeding grounds, plus linnets, greenfinches and chaffinches. In the trees and bushes on the Rock lurked willow warblers and chiffchaffs, with a sprinkling of redstarts - all birds that could be headed our way.

One of the last birds of the day was an osprey that approached low over the bay, also pestered by gulls, as it flew over the tankers and bulk carriers lying at anchor, past the lights of the docks and jetties at Algeciras. Where was it heading? There's no way of knowing, but we know from satellite-tagging that British-breeding ospreys often make their sea crossing here.

I know that birds are capable of all kinds of amazing feats, but there's nothing quite like seeing it for yourself. So keep your eyes peeled - the first swallow of spring is on its way.

Monday's Magic Moment: is this really it?

2013-04-08T15:54:45Z

It's taken a while this year, but I've finally seen my first butterfly of the year - a smashing brimstone which hurtled past on Saturday afternoon. With a chiffchaff singing nearby, it's finally started to feel like spring may be here (but don't hold your breath...).

This lovely photo was taken by Richard Revels and is part of RSPB Images, our library.